"A Call for Communication (Half-Life)" Steam Group passes 10,000 members

By Robert Purchese Published 17 January, 2012

But will Valve listen?

More than 10,000 gamers have joined the Steam Group campaigning for more Half-Life communication from Valve.

In other words, fans want to know when the series will return, be it via Half Life 2: Episode 3 or Half-Life 3.

"The lack of communication between Valve and the Half-Life community has been a frustrating experience," stated the group. "While continued support for current and future products is greatly appreciated, fans of the Half-Life series have waited years for a word on when the franchise will return.

"So, Instead of focusing efforts in a negative and disrespectful way, we have decided to gain Valve's attention by delivering a basic message:

"Your oldest and longest running fanbase would like better communication."

A Call for Communication, Steam Group

"Your oldest and longest running fanbase would like better communication."

The Steam Group, named A Call for Communication (Half-Life), added that, "Waiting patiently for over four years is a daunting task, especially when E3 comes and goes without any beat of a Half-Life pulse, time and time again."

"Valve had stated that information was scheduled to be released towards the end of 2008, and we believe that if they have chosen, for whatever reason, to withhold this information, fans should at least be acknowledged in some way, regardless of developmental plans for the next Half-Life project.

"The entire trilogy of episodes was supposed to be completed and released by 2007, and if Valve have decided to do other things for the time being, that is fine; all that we ask for is a basic response on the matter, and to let fans know whether or not the current story arc is scheduled to conclude at another point in time.

"In addition: This message is in no way, shape or form attempting to rush the development of the Half-Life series; in fact, most members agree that Valve should take the time needed to deliver a complete and polished product."

The post concluded with a line asking gamers to join the A Call for Communication Steam Group if they agreed with the sentiment.

"Hopefully such attention will be recognized by Valve," the post closed, "and the community's voice will be heard."

Half-Life 2: Episode 2 was released alongside Portal and Team Fortress 2 in autumn 2007. Since then, Valve has produced Left 4 Dead, Left 4 Dead 2, Alien Swarm and Portal 2.

Dota 2 and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive are in development.

Few of those games originated inside Valve, however - most were ideas that belonged to external teams or creators Valve eventually hired.

Some observers suggest that Steam's development has hampered Valve's game development; in building the world's most successful PC game digital distribution service, Valve neglected to create new games of its own.

When will we get another Orange Box?

Picture of Robert.

About Robert Purchese

Bertie is Eurogamer's Senior Staff Writer. When he's not hunting down news stories he's often found playing with his kids or gabbling about fantasy games and strange online worlds. @Clert on Twitter.

Read more articles from Robert by visiting the Robert Purchese archive page.

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Comments (111) Latest comment 4 months ago

Comments for this article are now closed, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • J0rdan_KZ #1 4 months ago

    As great as this cause is, it'll never work. Valve hugely values its privacy for its games. It's like asking Nintendo for information on the next Zelda game...

  • menage #2 4 months ago

    At least there is a new Zelda game.....:p

    runs.

  • FireMonkey #3 4 months ago

    Valve are making bucket loads of money from Steam, especially as for most PC users it is the only place they buy games.

    Why would they risk wasting time and money on another AAA title?

    Edit: Just want to clarify that I would love them to do another, but would fully understand if they decided not to. Will be interesting to see if they respond.
    Edited by FireMonkey at 17/01/12 @ 10:30

  • el_pollo_diablo #4 4 months ago

    Always bet on Gordon.

  • richardiox #5 4 months ago

    I dont think people want to breach their privacy...they dont want videos, screenshots or details (although that would be nice). It seems they just want some kind of word from Valve as to wether HL2: Episode 3 or indeed HL3 are in development at all.

    I would disagree with this steam group if it wasnt for the fact that Valve had already gone public with their intent to release annual or bi-annual episodic content in the HL universe. They said that and then have gone totally dark for 4 years. You can't hype your loyal fanbase then pull the rug out. /is impatient
    Edited by richardiox at 17/01/12 @ 10:05

  • arcam #6 4 months ago

    I understand why everyone wants to know what stage the new Half-Life is at, but knowing won't make the game come any faster.

    Valve will release Half-Life when they are ready - not just when they've got a finished game, but when they are confident that they can supply a release that will blow everyone away again in a way that Half-Life and Half-Life 2 did before it.

    I say just try and forget about it and let Valve do their thing. They know better than anyone when to stop working on it and when it should be released, and I submit to their better judgement.
    Edited by arcam at 17/01/12 @ 09:59

  • Adamical #7 4 months ago

    What J0rdan_KZ said, really.

    Although Valve is very appreciative and connected with its community, I can't see this changing anything.

  • Toothball #8 4 months ago

    Their work on Steam itself has been worthwhile though. I really enjoyed the Summer and Winter meta-games, as I rarely play as many games as I have done during those seasons.

    I'm a bit behind on Half Life though, having not finished the first one yet. It was getting taxing, so I'm tempted to run through it on easy just to see it through. No hurry though I guess.

  • BearFishPie #9 4 months ago

    For me it needn't have been a AAA title. Provided it wrapped up the story well, I've have been entirely happy with something the size and complexity of HL2 EP2. Now so much time has passed that the HL2 engine's looking a bit dated. I'd still be happy for EP3 to look much the same as EP2 did, but I'd imagine Valve would lose sales by releasing a game which looked behind the times.

    I suspect it'd take a lot more work for Valve to make EP3 now than it would a couple of years ago.

  • paulf #10 4 months ago

    here's the answer - when it's ready. Valve take their time to make sure it's great

  • SaintDaveUK #11 4 months ago

    Oh come on, this is hardly newsworthy. A petition of 10,000 is not a lot considering the popularity of Half Life.

  • WAusJackBauer #12 4 months ago

    Its become quite clear to me now that Valve are waiting for next gen. They want the big leap in graphics like HL1 to HL2 was.

    Either that, or all their money has made them lose it in the head.

    If we don't hear something by E3 2014, then we know for sure they don't care about Half Life anymore.

  • 00.00.01 #13 4 months ago

    @FireMonkey
    True, Steam has seen a massive increase in revenue growth over the past 12 months, 2011 has been very good to the service, as the service has been to its users. Time and money can be risked to make even more money... And being displayed with your knives and casually having an image of 'alf life 3' in the background doesn't help... http://i.imgur.com/SPv2Y.jpg

  • Nodka #14 4 months ago

    If you've watched the development behind the scenes docs on Portal 2 you will see Valve will quite happily can a game far along in development if it doesn't meet it's standards.

    There also has to be a desire to actually work on Half Life with the decentralized management system they have in place.

    So Valve's reply would probably be along the lines of yes we were working on HLF3 at one point but it wasn't good enough and we lost interest, we will return to it at some unspecified point in the future.

    What that fanboy group wants to hear is HLF3 is being worked on & due for release in the next year and nothing else.

  • RoOhDaMite #15 4 months ago

    Stop it!
    I want to be surprised!

  • Jonny5Alive7 #16 4 months ago

    Some sort of comment from Valve would be nice, even just that its in the plans for some point. They don't need to say when!
    Edited by Jonny5Alive7 at 17/01/12 @ 10:15

  • tankboi #17 4 months ago

    @FireMonkey

    You are suggesting there is a 'risk' in releasing a new HL title??? You sir, are mad.

  • WAusJackBauer #18 4 months ago

    @FireMonkey Half Life has a massive fanbase.

    A new Half Life game would sell a lot and fast.

  • Nova1977 #19 4 months ago

    I'm joining them right now.

  • FireMonkey #20 4 months ago

    @tankboi - There is always a risk.

    The biggest risk is it could be absolute crap and ruin Valves reputation.

    They haven't done a single player game of that scale for quite some time now.

    Don't get me wrong, I'd love them to do another, I can just understand if they don't.

  • hippyjump #21 4 months ago

    i can see a teaser coming with this tbh

  • Jolly_Armadillo #22 4 months ago

    Seriously just get a life... Stupid poll :/

  • persus-9 #23 4 months ago

    I think Valve are private because they like to keep their options open and not promise anything they can't deliver. Their philosophy is to be totally willing to go back to the drawing board if it isn't right. Look at the early builds of TF2 compared to the version they finally decided to release. If they said anything about their current plans it would disappoint people if they then changed them and delayed it another couple of years which might push them to not change their plans and push ahead with something which they knew in their hearts wasn't up to their usual standard. I think they should keep their cards close to their chest until they actually have something they want to release. I think Half-Life fans should just stop thinking about it and play something else until Valve or the Black Masa Mod team asks for their attention.

  • Sunyavadin #24 4 months ago

    Valve aren't a developer any more, they're a publisher. Everyone knows that.

  • mortiz666 #25 4 months ago

    There's almost certainly going to be future Half-Life games, I'm kind of concerned that Valve will outsource development though because of STEAM and we'll lose some of what made Half-Life special (if it's made by people who are just trying to imitate what Valve have done).

  • rudedudejude #26 4 months ago

    Valve are usually quite respectful to their community, I hope that something, anything is relayed from them in response to this.

    Not really looking forward to having to buy a new pc for this but Half Life games are always worth it.

    They will be working on it, it's always been one of the most pioneering games series in the history of modern gaming and I wouldn't expect anything less for this release.

  • Ternon #27 4 months ago

    Some observers suggest that Steam's development has hampered Valve's game development; in building the world's most successful PC game digital distribution service, Valve neglected to create new games of its own.
    I'm one of those observers, I stopped considering Valve to be a gaming company a long time ago.

  • jstar #28 4 months ago

    I am fairly confident that the only reason they have not done HL3 is that they have not yet thought of a satisfying way to explain various parts of the Half Life universe, G man who Freeman is etc etc.

    The series has always teased that there is something mysterious and interesting going on in the background and I imagine they don't want it to be like Lost. IE Bullshit.

  • arcam #29 4 months ago

    I stopped considering Valve to be a gaming company a long time ago.

    But... but... last month they won EG's GOTY award with Portal 2 :/

  • DyingAtheist #30 4 months ago

    There is a lot of misinterpretation of the goal of this group. They just want a basic "Yep, still doing it" or "Nope". They don't want screenshots or release deadlines or progress percentages, just a really basic yes or no. To use the J0rdon_KZ's Zelda example above, you always know a new Zelda is coming even if you have to wait years with no word from Nintendo. Come on Valve, just give us our hope and (most of us) will leave you alone to get on with it.

  • jstar #31 4 months ago

    @Ternon

    Because they no longer make games at all do they? And companies can only be one thing because everything has to be nice and simple so you can understand it all.

  • tankboi #32 4 months ago

    @FireMonkey

    I appreciate there is always a risk, it was said in jest. But the risk of Valve making a crap game seems pretty small to me :)

  • king_ghidra #33 4 months ago

    The sense of entitlement of these people is astonishing. Like someone who is horribly needy and paranoid in their relationship. 'You're not talking to us, you don't tell us anything, we don't know what you're doing, who are you talking to? DON'T YOU LOVE ME?'

    Take a step away from the keyboard and think about how ridiculously privileged you are.

  • berelain #34 4 months ago


    The real reason there hasn't been a Half-Life 3 / Episode 3 announcement.

  • Farzlepot #35 4 months ago

    Valve wrote themselves into a corner with the HL series, their bizarre love affair with the Lost series having a less-than-satisfying impact on Half-Life's story telling.

    I think they're just trying to figure out where to take the series after HL2: Episode 2. I sure can't think of a satisfying conclusion to that story.

  • PixelPirate #36 4 months ago

    @mortiz666 Valve dont outsource games anymore, after the Counter Strike "incident" around 2001 where they canned a whole new game due to it being pants.

  • arcam #37 4 months ago

    their bizarre love affair with the Lost series having a less-than-satisfying impact on Half-Life's story telling.

    Wat.

  • smirny #38 4 months ago

    I'm pretty sure we'll see HL3 when Source Engine 2 is formally revealed. The expanse of time between HL1 & HL2 was mainly down to the engine development.

    As there haven't been any really major overhauls to source, I'd say it's a good bet brand new enginee will be showcased by way of HL3.

    As for when this may be is anyones guess.

  • Colin8703 #39 4 months ago

    I'm wondering if they're waiting for the next generation of consoles to maximise sales as it would make sense.

    I don't care if it's released in ten years time, it would just be nice to know it's still on the way. They have a story to finish.

  • marmaduke #40 4 months ago

    @J0rdan_KZ It might work. Valve completely changed their stance on how they were going to handle DOTA2's release based on feedback, so why not this?

    At least people are trying.

  • Po1ymorph #41 4 months ago

    A new Half Life is clearly on the way. It will be ready when it's ready. And Valve will in no way rush it.

    I do not understand this petition? Is it threatening some sort of action if Valve don't release some screen shots, or state when a new Half Life will be released?

    This will have no effect on Valve, they know how passionate there fans feel about Half Life, and I do not think any of these people will boycott it if valve ignore's there plea for information.

    Have patience Half Life is on it's way and it's going to be "pretty, pretty good".

  • Headless_Monkey_Boy #42 4 months ago

    In all Honsesty, i'd rather not know. dont get me wrong I do want a HL (ep?)3 but i'd rather not think about it.

    Theres only one reason we havent heard anything yet.... its a long time coming. Thats fine, i respect that. Its unlikely that HL3 will ever be cancelled while they reamain as financially secure as everyone assumes them to be. Its valve's leading franchise so even if 3 attempts get canned they'll just start up another.

    whenever I hear about a game in development a long time from release news trickles out soooo slooowly, its more frustrating than ever. and theres Always. delays Always. Gabe says "of course we're working on ep 3" thats good enough for me.

  • asho #43 4 months ago

    yeah i agree lets not focus efforts in a negative and disrespectful way, "Get your fucking finger out your rectum and tell us gamers what the fucks happening you bunch of wankers." I feel lot better now.

  • Utopolitan #44 4 months ago

    Valve taking their time and keeping their mouths shut is probably part of the explanation as to why their games are far, far, far superior in brains and content to those of any other developer.

  • Monstro #45 4 months ago

    I'm totally behind this.

    For the whiners, it's not about entitlement or impatience, and I don't think it matters a jot whether it works or not. It's a peaceful, respectful and polite way to ask for just a little more information.

    We don't even know whether there will be another Half-Life installment. It would be nice to know whether we should expect an episode, or a full sequel - or anything at all.

    It can be frustrating and disheartening to hear continued silence. This seems a great way to express that discontent and ask for a little bit of hope.

  • arcam #46 4 months ago

    We don't even know whether there will be another Half-Life installment.

    But come on, we really do. There will be. I would happily bet my entire house on the fact that there will be another Half-Life installment. There have been so many hints from games and interviews and forum posts, the last one was a cliffhanger, and the series is one of the most respected and anticipated of all time.

    We all really know the score - Valve are working on a new Half Life game, but they are not ready to release it yet. I don't know why there needs to be a campaign to get Valve to tell us that.

  • Shikasama #47 4 months ago

    All it does is tell Steam that there are 10,000 Half Life fans that will definitley buy it when it is released.

  • lolercopter #48 4 months ago

    Imagine how Shenmue fans feel. /cries in a corner

  • Shabbaranks #49 4 months ago

    @Jolly_Armadillo

    Shouldn't that be get a 'Half' life.

  • rudedudejude #50 4 months ago

    I don't think there's anything wrong with this or any pressure motives as some of you think - a fanbase just want to know how their beloved series is getting along, if at all. Just like you want to know when you favourite musician's next album is out or the 14th transformers sequel.

    I think they owe the fans at least a status update out of respect for those who love the series.

  • kangarootoo #51 4 months ago

    Post deleted at 12:13:04 17-01-2012

  • disappointed #52 4 months ago

    Can someone name one game that took longer than four years to make and was worth the wait?

    Valve screwed up their stab at episodic content and they would be crazy to try and recover that project into a DNF-style epic.

    But if they had cancelled the series, they would have said so, right?

    It all looks a bit messy to me.

  • hiddenranbir #53 4 months ago

    Even if they say "we're working on it"

    SAY SOMETHING FFS.

    Half Life 2 made Steam a success.
    Edited by hiddenranbir at 17/01/12 @ 12:09

  • Cadence #54 4 months ago

    Yes lets hope hope this doesn't go the way of Shenmue 3. The fact I'll never get wreak vengenance on Lan Di feels me with despair.

    The ending of HL2: EP2 was such a cliff hanger too, one of the most emotional endings to any game I've ever played.

  • arcam #55 4 months ago

    Can someone name one game that took longer than four years to make and was worth the wait?

    Half-Life 2.

  • StooMonster #56 4 months ago

    @disappointed Can someone name one game that took longer than four years to make and was worth the wait?

    Half-Life 2

  • StooMonster #57 4 months ago

    Jinx!

  • johnson81 #58 4 months ago

    I think Valve may be waiting for the next leap in hardware to ensure their game in the next step up to what's available at the minute. On the other hand, I'd love them to pull an Apple and say "you'll be able to buy this game in 4 weeks". In fact I'd love any dev/pub to do that.

  • vert1go #59 4 months ago

    Going on past Valve communication with its loving fans:

    It'll be out in September. (July 2003)
    Uh... that's not our source code. Don't download it. (October 2003 - rapidly followed by)
    It is our code but it won't run. Honest.
    Okay it is our code but it won't work.
    Okay it is our code and yes it's playable but it's incomplete.
    Okay it is our code and yes it's playable and I know we said it's incomplete but... that's all there was to steal. Ahem.
    Yes we knew it wouldn't be ready in time and we didn't tell you and yes my highly complex password was "gaben" but... erm...

  • polaris70 #60 4 months ago

    Maybe they haven't got the talent to do another Half-life. I've heard the talented developers from the original HL and HL2 have mostly moved on and the company is full of engineers.
    Edited by polaris70 at 17/01/12 @ 12:30

  • 7_ShininGAngel #61 4 months ago

    Guys I haven't played HL at all, you think the whole set for 40 dollars on steam is still worth to buy? If one hasn't played it yet.

  • huckan #62 4 months ago

    The way I look at it, if it's not going to happen... they'd have said.

  • SaintDaveUK #63 4 months ago

    @7_ShininGAngel Just get The Orange Box. You can get it around £10 from most retail and online shops.

  • Retro_ #64 4 months ago

    HL2 Ep2 ended on such a shocker...cliffhanger. They had a task, a mission to perform. There must be either an Ep 3 or more likely, HL3. Saying that, I expect the next gen of console to be here before we see it.

  • arcam #65 4 months ago

    @7_ShininGAngel

    Yes! The Orange Box is missing a lot, including Half-Life 1 and Episode 2.

    I have a voucher for 50% off all Valve games on Steam if that helps your decision. Let me know if you want it.

  • Lemming81 #66 4 months ago

    I think I gave up on it when they announced DOTA2.

    I mean if they'd rather work on some e-gaming niche nonsense nobody asked for instead of their flagship title, then clearly they are out of ideas.

  • Lemming81 #67 4 months ago

    @arcam The Orange Box is not missing 'Episode 2'. It doesn't include HL1 or the HL1 expansions, which I'm sure is what you meant to say.

  • Eldritch #68 4 months ago

    Why on Earth should Valve give a fiddler's fart?

    I hope they close the thread with nothing but "Get a (Half-)life".

  • arcam #69 4 months ago

    @Lemming81 Oops, yes you're right. It's been so long I forgot Episode 2 was actually out then.

    Still, Orange Box is only $20 on Steam, so $10 with a voucher, so he might still want to make use of it.
    Edited by arcam at 17/01/12 @ 13:07

  • MENTAL1ST Verified Senior Software Engineer, Picsel UK Ltd. #70 4 months ago

    I'd say there's probably better than a 50:50 chance we'll see a new Half Life game (probably called 3 rather than Episode 3, thanks to Valve's various teasers of the past few months) unveiled at E3.

    As far as 'maximising sales' is concerned, you really want to catch the end of a console lifecycle for that - although you need to be careful not to launch after it has peaked, which is probably part of what happened with Xbox 1 HL2.

    Half Life 3, using a slightly buffed-up Portal 2 engine, for PC, Mac, Xbox 360 and PS3 (maybe Wii U, too) to be launched some time within 6 months of November 2012, that's what I say.

  • 32768Colours #71 4 months ago

    I can see why diehard fans of the series want some sort of update - even a simple yes or no - but there is a downside to that.

    If a sequel is announced or even implied, that will instantly start the timer ticking for fans and journalists to expect further announcements or a release date. This group might deny that, but they're not the only people watching for a new Half-Life.

    Like many times before, the trouble then is two-fold. First, the renewed hype will further raise expectations of the game, expectations which are rarely met when development times are lengthy.

    Second, the longer it takes before more news can trickle out, the more likely it is that people will start accusing it of being vapourware; generating unnecessary bad publicity and even more scrutiny when fresh news - or the game itself - does finally appear.

    I therefore think Valve would be very wise not to engage in this discussion. Let's be brutally honest here, its not as though the 10,000 members of this group are ever going to boycott Episode 3 or HL3. If anything they'll probably be amongst the first with their pre-orders. So where exactly is Valve's incentive to divulge information? Keeping quiet might not win them any fans but it most probably won't lose them any either.

    At least this way they can get the game right without needing to meet arbitrary deadlines or hype.

    Leave 'em to it I say!

  • arcam #72 4 months ago

    @MENTAL1ST

    If Valve want to make a big splash with HL3, I think they might be probably pushing hardware past the point of current gen consoles.

    I reckon it'll be a next-gen release, coming out some time in 2013.

  • xavier_dragoon #73 4 months ago

    It's too late for episode 3 now (unless they gave it away as a free prologue); let's just have HF3 now and be done with it.

  • xavier_dragoon #74 4 months ago

    @arcam That would be nice for the both consoles and of owners - the required upgrade in tech would serve both camps nicely and provide a early piece of 'must have'software for which ever console launch it coninsided with.

  • hiddenranbir #75 4 months ago

    @polaris70 Probably, since all the recent games from Valve came from other little devs that got absorbed.

  • Darren #76 4 months ago

    Sheesh, has it really been over four years since the release of Half-Life 2: Episode 2? Good job, I wasn't waiting for Episode 3 then...

    I suspect Half-Life 3 won't appear until the next-generation of consoles are out myself.

  • KingFunkIII #77 4 months ago

    I can't believe there haven't been any Gabe Newell 'fat' jokes in this thread yet...

  • Uncompetative #78 4 months ago

    If they force Valve to resolve this question of whether to next expect part 3 or HL 3 then they'll soon think of asking something else.. and something else. Rather than wait for a nice surprise.

  • CHAZBIGPOTATO #79 4 months ago

    I'm getting tired of all these interent campaigns which are just so very trivial in the grand scheme of things, so much so I'm thinking of starting up a group...anyone care to join?

  • Fruit-Salad #80 4 months ago

    Post deleted at 01:35:51 08-02-2012

  • spekkeh #81 4 months ago

    This is just playing into Valve's hands. The more ruckus made about people desperately wanting HL3, the more outside people will get interested, boy this game must really be something. Well played Valve. Stay quiet some longer.

  • Subdominator #82 4 months ago

    You only need to connect some puzzle pieces to find out that Half-Life 3 is not coming anytime soon.

    About three months prior to the release of Left 4 Dead Valve decided to halt work on Episode 3 and put everybody on Left 4 Dead to get it out in time. Then the game was a huge commercial success and they started work on the second one immediately. Just compare who worked on Episode 2 and Left 4 Dead/Left 4 Dead 2. Nearly everyone at Valve. After Left 4 Dead 2 Portal 2 went into full production. Again, just compare the credits. And Portal 2 suffered some difficulties during production. The game was supposed to come out two years earlier in late 2009. However the original concept had the game have no portals at all. It took them two years to realize it didn't work very well and only then started work on the Portal 2 we know. They basically lost two years on Portal 2 that would otherwise have been used to create Half-Life 3 (all information from Portal 2: The Final Hours, available on Steam).

    Interview with Gabe Newell two years ago: "The episodic model didn't work out for us, in the end we needed much more time to create the content we wanted and it sold fewer copies than expected." -> No more Half-Life 2 Episode 3, thank you very much.

    For all we know they could've only started full production on Half-Life 3 in April 2011. They only have 250 employees, of whích 1/5 are Steam-related and the rest actually makes games. And all of them have worked on Portal 2. And then there is DOTA 2. Obviously the next big thing for Valve, which is why I doubt they are currently working on Half-Life 3 with more than a couple of designers. Valve has the luxury problem of having too many successful IPs. Nobody even talks about a new Team Fortress. Or Counter-Strike 2 (instead we get yet another visual upgrade with remade maps). Because in the end they don't have to do anything, they can pick projects and work on what they want to do next, not what the community wants them to do next.

    However the lack of communication is disturbing. Newell didn't even have the guts to say "Episode 3 is dead", instead he keeps quiet and says he is annoyed by people asking him about it.

    I think they have some huge things with Half-Life 3 in mind and want to wait for the next generation consoles to make those things happen and not have to do compromises everywhere.

  • mentalabhoration #83 4 months ago

    Wake up Mr Freeman and smell the ashes

  • phenom_x8 #84 4 months ago

    @disappointed Can someone name one game that took longer than four years to make and was worth the wait?

    S.T.A.L.K.E.R

  • stryker1121 #85 4 months ago

    @J0rdan_KZ Perhaps but a pointed communique regarding the series may at least garner some response from Valve. Are they just going to completely ignore their community after this? I'd think that'd be bad business.

  • Fruit-Salad #86 4 months ago

    Post deleted at 09:35:41 22-05-2012

  • ISeeEverything #87 4 months ago

    Valve , you should not treat customers (fans) like this , nobody deserves this kind of silent treatment that you're doing . Of course HL is a legendary series but dear Valve , you're behavior is arrogant and in the end when HL3 is finally out IF by any chance you don't meet the super high expectations that you founded who's fault will that be , who will you blame ?

  • governmentyard #88 4 months ago

    It'll be out when the next XBox hits the shelves, probably.

  • RoOhDaMite #89 4 months ago

    @ISeeEverything
    That makes no sense.

    It is the other way around:
    The less I hear about a game the less I'm hyped.

  • Butr0sButr0s #90 4 months ago

    I would love it valve kept the development of half life 3 in the dark, then out of the blue one day just said "We'd like to announce half life 3. By the way, its finished and ships next week".

  • dorkacle #91 4 months ago

    @MENTAL1ST "although you need to be careful not to launch after it has peaked, which is probably part of what happened with Xbox 1 HL2."

    Just reminding me I actually bought HL2 on 3 platforms!! Lols, wouldn't complain bout it doh :) Xbox one because I couldn't run it on my PC at d time. Then PC when i had a decent one and they packaged it with Half Life One source an all that. And then the orange box as well on 360. Valve you can have my money jus release something 'half lifey'!!!
    Edited by dorkacle at 17/01/12 @ 16:03

  • TazerFan #92 4 months ago

    It'll come out when the leap from HL2 to HL3 will be as impressive as the leap from HL to HL2. Seems exceedingly simple to me.

  • FenderMaster #93 4 months ago

    Seems like a fair enough request... Customers just want to know whether the story they bought into will get a conclusion.

    I've never played a Half Life game, but even I think they're taking the piss.

  • FogHeart #94 4 months ago

    It's been a while since we've seen what the source engine can do. Portal 2, fantastic game that it is, doesn't show the full extent of what the engine does...

    Given that this mod is released next month using latest Source tech, if HL3 were released tomorrow expect scenes as pretty as these.

  • Ternon #95 4 months ago

    @arcam

    I don't consider stupid little gimmicky shit that you can finish in 2 hours like Portal to by a proper game.

  • hiddenranbir #96 4 months ago

    Next-gen tech? you mean the shit they already have access to on those fancy 64-bit machines that allow them a ridiculonk amount of memory to play with? What other next-gen fandango are they waiting on? A Gpu that goes that little bit extra faster?

  • arcam #97 4 months ago

    @Ternon

    Heh, fair enough. I on the other hand think Portal is possibly the best game ever released. Ever. :)

  • carbonic #98 4 months ago

    Well, perhaps this is what they really ment when they said "prepare for unforeseen consequences"

  • SHEEPISH47 #99 4 months ago

    I will be so disappointed if its episode 3

  • rob_of_the_robots #100 4 months ago

    Venky's out!

  • Nephirion #101 4 months ago

    I hate all this PR bullshit, Valve should acknowledge if HL3 or EP3 is in development or will not be made would take about 20 mins to write a press release not really that hard or time consuming.

  • dorkacle #102 4 months ago

    @JAGUARCD32x

    I've recently played HL1 (great game, possibly better than the 2nd for its day) on Windows 7 no prob, it was the the source version doh. Dunno if that makes a difference?

  • Ihya #103 4 months ago

    Spill the beans on the next instalment and people bitch that it is taking too long.

    Don't spill the beans on the next instalment and people bitch that it is taking too long.

    These people need a full life before they need half life.

  • ReapingAngel #104 4 months ago

    I KIND OF agree with the group. Not a PC gamer but played HL games on consoles and have to say; what Valve is today is because of that game. Valve's fanbase is because of that one game. HL2 took ages to come out but it blew everyone away when it did. It was probably the one game that survived development hell and came out shining. But people are missing the point. The whole idea of episodic content was that HL games will not take ages to come out and the entire storyline could be enjoyed without people waiting ages for HL3 to come out.

    THAT WAS THE IDEA. That is why we have Episode 1 and 2. Now it has been ages and its clear the promise Valve made is not kept. So obviously, the entire PC gaming and HL community is not happy. But having said that, if the next HL game IS indeed in development, then we should trust Valve to bring out a good game.

    Personally, I will be annoyed if the next HL game they bring is Episode 3. The kind of wait us HL gamers have gone through, it should be a full-fledge game and not just an episode.

  • ROCK-NYC #105 4 months ago

    All these good games that are ALREADY out and people are beasting over a game that may or may not get made, GOOD GRIEF!

  • Number1Laing #106 4 months ago

    Not only are these people entitled brats but they are clueless as to how Valve works.

    Valve develops whatever they feel like when they feel like it. They will get around to Half-Life whatever when they are confident they can push the ball forward and no doubt they will deliver. Valve can say as much and I am sure people will feel like that is not good enough.

    It really is best just not to think about it. I was waiting for TF2 for years and Valve basically said, "sorry we are writing a new engine" and then they disappeared for years... re-emerging with Half-Life 2. And still then it was another three years for TF2.

  • Number1Laing #107 4 months ago

    @ReapingAngel The whole idea of episodic content was that HL games will not take ages to come out and the entire storyline could be enjoyed without people waiting ages for HL3 to come out.

    Valve pretty much threw out the idea of episodic gaming after Episode 1... underwhelmed (I personally thought it was utter shit, but that's just me). Episode 2 took a year and a half to finish. I'm pretty sure that Valve themselves even said that Episode 1 was not up to snuff.

  • Camilitus #108 4 months ago

    @Fruit-Salad there is a call for communication steam group asking for any news on a new L4D, - another genre defining series left to wither....

  • Caimbeul #109 4 months ago

    does valve ever listen? not very often.

  • Number1Laing #110 4 months ago

    @gamingeuro No it wasn't dummy. Narbacular Drop, a totally different game, was a student project at Digipen. Valve hired the people, took the concept, paired it up with their engine, writers, programmers, and designers, and turned out Portal.

    If you're gonna criticize the company at least learn the facts.

  • arthurdubeux #111 4 months ago

    It is clearly visible why valve is so closed about Half Life/Episode 3.
    Building a game isn't easy.
    Now imagine to build something that has to be perfect for all its fans.
    Everything needs to be perfect and clean.
    Not even mentioning that the last attempt to remain closed was hacked up.
    I am not surprised that Valve now wants to remain in secret with this project.